A director of building firm LU Simon broke the law by installing flammable cladding on the Lacrosse apartments in Melbourne, the Building Practitioners Board (BPB) has found.

The cladding contributed to a serious fire at the Docklands building in November 2014, which authorities believe could have resulted in deaths had weather conditions been different.

The Victorian Building Authority (VBA) confirmed the BPB found Jim Moschoyiannis, who joined LU Simon in 1983, breached the Building Act 1993 by installing non-compliant cladding.

“While the board has found Mr Moschoyiannis has breached the Act, it has not yet made a decision as to penalties,” a VBA spokesman told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

“The VBA understands the BPB has scheduled a penalty hearing for September 25. The practitioner will have 28 days from the date of the penalty to appeal the decision and penalty.”